Step 1 Starting From Seed

The difference is quite OBVIOUS! So, peel the netting off, right?!

Right Gymgirl ! Also, you wanted to know what a sucker was ? I took a picture just now to show you. I prune off the "suckers" as early as possible as to not rob strength from the plant although if you let the suckers grow big enough you can tranplant them and have another plant. As I stated before I only prune the bottom quarter of the plant and then let nature do the rest. The sucker is small as I just pruned all my plants three days ago. I never let them get larger as I prune every two or three days. This is optional as some people just let them sprawl which is OK but not for me. By touching the ground the plant is subject to insects and disease. Some may disagree with me but to each his own.

Hey Gymgirl - Also notice in the pic Tplant took for you that there is some green stuff around the tomato plant and the stake. That stuff is Velcro that you buy in the gardening section at HD. The stuff works great and is used to tie your tomato plant to a stake. Pick some of that stuff up to for your tomato growing.

Orrr wait till after Chritmas as they now sell it to hang up decorations at Xmas time and you can get a real steal on it.

I wanted to work outside today but we are having winds gusting from 25mph to 35mph+ and it makes it difficult to work. It is a VERY good thing that I re-tied my tomato plants yesterday or this wind would have done some real damage. Wind is the tomato plants enemy and if not supported properly it will snap the stems. Won't kill the plant but it will extend the time for the first crop to come in. Guess I'll have to put off my spraying time again because of this weather. I don't like the way the weather has been. First very dry and then wet and now windy. My plants can definetly use the Messenger treatment after all this. Although I have no real proof that it works I feel it couldn't hurt. I've never made a comparison test as I have limited space. Perhaps Flip has ?

I was able to get the Messenger on the plants very early this morning - the wind was up but not so much that I couldn't get it done. At the same time, I pruned suckers similar to TP's method on the lower part of the plants. I think from here on out it's gonna be au natural; no more pruning. I also retied several plants to secure them better against the wind. It was like REALLY windy today, gusting to 35 mph. Looks to be windy again tomorrow, tapering off some on Monday.

I've never done a scientific/structured Messenger comparison - at least not one that would be recognized by the purists. But I've grown some of the same maters both with and without and I'll tell you - I think the Messenger-treated plants grew, looked and produced better than those not treated. For about $15-$20 a season, I'll probably keep doing it.

Yep! Gotta watch out for those PURISTS ! LOL Another windy day today but in addition to that the temp was only about 80 but the sun was brutally hot on my body. It was as if a magnifying glass was on me. Finished my pruning and re-tying and went inside and shortly after I did it became cloudy? Go figure! Only in Florida.

Went to Lowes and purchased two more bags of red cedar mulch. It also comes in brown. At $2 a bag(2cuft)it is a good deal and makes my garden look and smell good. The pine fragrance plus the tomato fragrance really make a very pleasant odor. We are having some heavy sun showers just now so I'll probably do the mulching tomorrow as it gets dark here rather early what with the time and season change. It is amazing that everyday or every other day I must re-tie my plants a little higher up their stakes. The growth with this rain is phenominal. Must spray my plants tomorrow. I'll mix messenger with Ortho Garden Disease Control as the messenger people say it can be mixed in with my spraying. Hope this wind dies down by then?
Either way the job will get done by tomorrow...

I also retied my plants again yesterday. Did some weeding, trimming of leaves hanging in the dirt and sucker pinching in the morning. In the early evening I watered, treated a few ant mounds in two of the gardens and planted some cucumbers. I tell you, I'd go nuts if all I had to do was watch plants grow in an eb! As good as they are, I need to get out and do gardening (and get dirty)!

Perhaps the mater gods are with me again this year. My in-ground plants (planted nine days after the eb) in garden #1 seem to be keeping pace with the ones in the eb. The Aunt Gerties Gold is already as large as the eb'ers. Many nice flowers on a lot of the plants - may be getting some fruit set in the next few weeks!! Getting more new growth and some flowers in garden #2 and new growth in Garden #3.

The whiteflies are still around here. I think the difference between the ones here now and the ones that wiped me out several seasons ago is these aren't infected with the TYLCVirus. I believe the infected ones came from store bought plants (HD). I still spray them with BBG Max about once a week. Once the weather cools off, they'll goo away.

I've seen where some folks use the concrete reinforcing wire as mater fencing. It's very sturdy but it also rusts. Would there be any adverse reaction from the plants to the rusty metal??? I have access to some but I'd like to know what everyone thinks before I do it. Thanks!

My only concern about using rebar is the rust factor. As the rod rusts the scale does become sharp and by reaching in to pick tomatos I'm always concerned about cutting myself. I use the vinyl coated rods for sale at Home Depot and Lowes. They are expensive but they last forever. I think they cost about $4 ea or maybe a little less and are about five feet tall or taller. I never measured them. They look a lot neater in my garden. As far as EBs are concerned they are a blessing for people in my condition. Don't think I'd be able to garden without them. I wish this wind would ease off so I could spray. No white flies as of this time. Could be the wind keeps them away from my plants as the tomato plants are out in the open and nothing to block the wind.
My cherry tomatos have flowers and seem to be growing at a rapid pace. I just love to sit in my garden and admire my results. Wish I had more room so I could grow flowers and such.....

Raining (real downpour)again here, but I just peeked out and saw a big cluster of reds....lol should I streak (and I do mean streak) out and get them? Having a good season desipite the blight problem and getting a good feel of what I like and don't, all the blacks are to my taste and I am really enjoy Aunt Ginny's Purple, like Sioux but it's not a WOW mater, Porter's Pride is a nice round pink that holds up well and is a good general all around tomato. Creole, well people tried to tell me but I had to try it...yuck!

I can see the dark clouds down your way. Probably be here within the hour. Thanks for the weather report......

Ohh that rain was chilly! Had a nice batch of maters ready, didn't get all of them cause I just got to cold, This is today's haul, the cherry's are loaded but it would have taken a lot more time than I was willing to spend to pick them. I know it doesn't look like a lot but we pick daily and get this plus cherry's daily so I'm happy.

Saint

This is what is left from last night *G* we cut up about 6 or so for dinner, and yes we ate them all! I don't make veggies these days we just have a tomato salad or just sliced tomato.

Saint, we had the rain in the middle of the night so I'm not surprised it made it down to you by late morning. We were pretty happy to have it since we haven't had rain in several weeks.

Thanks sooooo much for posting pics of your maters. I'm droolin'! My evil sister would not share any of her Sungold and sweet 100's with me when DH and I were over there on Saturday for my step mom and niece's bdays. Can you believe that? She has tons of them and wouldn't share! BTW, those plants she has are from ME! How rude!

I spotted my biggest Cher Purp is beginning to ripen. Yum. He has some cracks and so I hope I can get some to eat off him. Looks like one of the julia child might begin to ripen before the plant is dead too....hopefully!

lol that is kinda rude...It's stopped raining here but I'll think I'll let DH pick all the Sweet Million *G* Having pasta tonight so he can go pick them and I'll slice up some cheese and we will be set.

I'm telling you next year you have to grow AGP since you like the CP...really think you'll like it. If our mail wasn't so bad I'd send you one but you know how it is I can send stuff to IO1 than you.

Saint

Saint, nice lookin' maters. They're makin' me get really antsy here. 7-8 weeks to go here before we get some ripe ones. I've got an AGP flowering now.
Michelle, you tell your sister that all of your mater buddies thinks she should give you some maters!
TP. hope you got to spray today. It's been fairly calm here today, maybe 10 mph.

Aries44,
$15-$20 for your whole season? How much area are you covering? I'm gonna do 14 H/EBs in the next growing season (March '07), and am getting an idea of how much product to order.

GG,
If you spray every three weeks as it's suggested and you begin, say a week or so after you plant out in your ebs, I would say you would probably spray them 7-8 times (21-24 weeks worth). The first few times you spray them you could easily get by with one-half a packet (probably less) and could probably get by the whole season using a half packet each time. So, I would say 5 packets would easily cover you.
Flip

Thanks, Flip!

The problem, I'm hearing, is that Messenger doesn't keep its potency very long, once you open a packet, and folks recommend resealing it with those seal-a-meal dealies. Do you have a different (easier) method for preserving and opened, unused packet of Messenger?

Nope. I use a full packet for my 3 gardens (including all my veggies) and for my citrus trees.
It stays fresh in the unopened packet for several years.
You can open the packet and use it anytime within three weeks. If you mix it with water, you need to use it the same day.

flip how do your citrus like it? I have a lemon and a lime tree that I'd like to use it on, matter fact I think I'll use the mighty plant on the lemon today as it needs fert. Both of course are in pots *G*

Saint, why don't you like the Creole? What did it taste like? I have about 4 of them on there right now. Just babies. The plant is pretty small too. Was yours?

I'd like to have a big ol' lemon tree. Merae has one and she had lots of lemons on it.

just a very blah tasting tomato...tasted like, well like the hybrid that it is.

OK already! Back to the topic! Finally got to spray Messenger and OGDC(Orth Garden Disease Control) today about 5pm when the wind died down. I mixed both togeather in a gallon of water. After all the rain and then the dry and windy weather it will really put these products to a test. My two week old plants(I count their age by day of final transplant)are doing magnificent and I can see tremendous growth on a daily basis as I have to keep tying them up. Also have lots of new flowers after picking the first ones off the plants to preserve their energy for strength and growth. Not an easy thing to do when you are waiting for tomatos but I feel it to be necessary on all tomatos except cherry types. Speaking of cherry tomatos this is my first time with Sun Gold and it is a rapid grower. Can't wait to taste its fruit. I'll take some more pics tomorrow.

Finally an acronym for Ortho Garden and Disease Control....Thanks Tplant! I am anxiously awaiting your pics!

Happy Mater Growin T.

Forgot to mention for the very first time it seems like I'm succeeding in growing the Black Cherry. It is about 12" high and looking good but this is the sole survivor of six seeds of which three germinated and only one survived to final transplant. Why are they so difficult for me to grow? A real challenge! I normally have at least a 95% or better germination and if not it is because I goofed and planted the seed to deep. Black Cherry really gets my goat if you know what I mean?

Saint, my citrus seem to like Messenger just fine. I use this stuff on all of my veggies, the citrus and use any of the leftovers on anything else that's planted in the ground.

TP, glad you got that Black Cherry going - I remember eating a few of those last year when you and Kim came down. I'm not doing them this year - for cherrys, just 4 of the 37 plants here - Sungold, J. Flamme, Galinas and Santa Sweets.

This message was edited Nov 9, 2006 6:18 AM

Tplant, I'm not sure why you have such bad "luck" with BC. I grew some from seed and I gave all but one plant away so I can only give you an account about the one I kept. Eventho something tried to eat it down when I first transplanted it, I managed to keep it alive and the thing gave me tons of yummy fruit even thru our heat. I got the seeds from Saint who prob'ly got them from TGS. I sure hope yours does as well and you get lots of great fruit from it. Not only are they tasty, but they are really beautiful to the eye. They are bigger than sweet100's and SG. For a salad, I had to cut them in half. The insides of them are very attractive as well....makes a really pretty salad.

Don't know why either? Ordered two batches from TGS figuring the first order might have been NG but the same results one year later with a new batch? Frusterating to say the very least!
Meanwhile today is a magnificent day with cool dry winds from the north and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect for pictures. Will do....

We are having record high temps today....supposed to get up to 90 degrees. It is very beautiful outside.

The Black Cherry is in the background and it seems to be coming along just fine. I really expect a lot of growth for the next few days as the weatherman calls for bright sunny days and my plants are starting to drink a lot of water. This is a sure sign of things to come.

Really not too much to show at this time as all the plants are green and healthy and some flowering has started especially with the Cherry varieties. However, this is a picture of one of my Tumblers which I place in a hanging basket. The hangers that I originally used were not strong enough inspite of their advertising. I need someone to put up the new and heavier brackets but my son has a stomach virus and must stay in bed for a few days so it will have to be put on hold for a few days. Meanwhile I staked them so they don't tumble and touch the ground as this is their way of growing. You will see later how beautiful and unique they will look in my garden.

Here we have Momotaro a favorite tomato of Japan. I'm growing two of them for my son. He was their for a while with his carrier (Ranger) when he served as a marine. He told me about them so I got some seed from TGS which coincidently they just arrived in stock. They are also doing very well. It is difficult for you to see but my plants, because of my limited pruning, look like miniature trees. I don't want the leaves to touch the ground if at all possible as this is a source of infection. Even though I grow all my plants in EBs I prefer to keep them as sanitary as I can. When they get a little bigger you'll see my reasoning.

Paw,
Is a Tumbler a tomato plant? Or do you mean it will just cascade over the sides of the hanging baskets?

It is a cherry tomato plant that will tumble over a hanging basket and the tomatos are sweet. It will hang down two or three feet or more and bear lots of little red tomatos. A real conversation piece. I always have them in my garden. They would be fun for you if you have an area for one or two hanging baskets in full or partial sun. Just make sure you buy sturdy hangers to support the basket and the basket must be 14 -15 inches wide. The large size. It will weigh 20 pounds dry and 30 pounds wet so the hangers must be sturdy. I buy mine at Lowes. They are the sturdy black ones and sell for $8 or $9 each. The baskets cost about the same. You will see the plant when you get your TGS catalog. They are the only seed company I use. There are a few varities for hanging baskets including a yellow tomato.

Thanks Paw!

DH is a welder, so a hanging basket bracket that won't droop shouldn't be a problem! I'll look for "Tumblers" in the CATALOG!

y'all are making me want to plant a tumbler!

Merae gave me a Celebrity and many Black Cherry and grape maters today! Yay! I've eaten several and boy were they good! I can't wait til some of my maters get ripe.

Michelle

Yes Michelle, I had 6 black cherry tomatoes cut up for breakfast this morning. They were delicious. I couldn't wait to come home and have more for lunch. yum yum....those are delicious.

oK, mS_MERAE,
Next time you're passing through Houston, drop off a coupla blacks!